On a day that started out sweltering and gradually cooled comfortably in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, a talented cross-section of local bands -- some on the verge of breaking out, and others nationally recognized -- delivered disparate but inspired sets at the second annual 10 Thousand Sounds festival. With the city skyline towering majestically over the proceedings, the intensity built all day long until Poliça's last area show of the year.

Poliça frontwoman Channy Leaneagh is one of the Twin Cities' most iconic performers of the moment. Blessed with a voice that can encapsulate humanity's softness and jaggedness in a single stanza, she has come into her own over two albums of synth-fueled soul, and this year's EP, Raw Exit. Each song from the band -- featuring bassist Chris Bierden, drummers Ben Ivascu and Drew Christopherson, and producer Ryan Olson -- pulls untapped emotion to the surface to writhe and gasp for air. It's a live experience unparalleled anywhere.

Ahead of Saturday's headlining performance at City Pages' second annual 10 Thousand Sounds Fest, Leaneagh met with Gimme Noise for some iced beverages at Spyhouse. She traveled from the home she keeps with Olson in north Minneapolis to discuss Raw Exit, her punk influence, and views on censorship, which she experienced with last year's Shulamith cover.

It might seem a bit anachronistic in the age of the cloud, but Tree Blood have really kicked the door in on the Twin Cities indie and punk communities thanks to their hand-to-hand DIY practices. Starting with an intriguing (and award-winning) name and a challenging two-piece setup, the duo of guitarists Colin Wilkinson and Simon Brooks added drummer Walker Neudorff of Solid Attitude to the fold this year, allowing Brooks and Wilkinson to follow the noisy rabbit trail that the band has been on since its inception even deeper. Drifting further away from the more traditional melodic punk of their first two tapes, Tree Blood have been carving out a territory all their own during their summer tape series, adding a level of unhinged ferocity with more explosive, unpredictable songwriting than ever.

We caught up with Tree Blood at the end of a marathon 10-hour rehearsal at their practice space in northeast Minneapolis to talk about their slot as the opener for our 10 Thousand Sounds Festival and how their band sometimes acts as group therapy.

Frankie Teardrop remains one of the most exciting characters to emerge from the local music scene in the past year, largely due to the fact that he's just that -- a character. Conjured by the twisted mind of songwriter and guitarist Jordan Bleau, Frankie has grown into a larger-than life persona, characterized by his monochromatic tall-tees, omnipresent Ray-Bans, gold chain, and cocky slacker attitude. But while the Frankie Teardrop identity once stood for a nihilistic rejection of basically everything, he's evolved in the wake of the band's recent tours to become a people's champion for the underground indie-rock community.

Teaming up with photographer Alex Uhrich, Frankie/Bleau is launching a record label called No Problem in an attempt to give some shine to the hardworking and talented bands they surround themselves with. We caught up with Frankie and his band before their release show for his new EP, Raiders, behind the Triple Rock to discuss the recent tours and their plans for our upcoming 10 Thousand Sounds Festival.

Why not treat yourself to something extra on July 26? The 10 Thousand Sounds VIP experience will do just that. A powerful lineup led by Polica can be just the beginning of a day rich in comforts and delights.

For a few dollars more, the festival can be enhanced by unlimited pizza and noodles, an exclusive bar, private restrooms, and other amenities that you deserve. The weekend is yours for the taking! Full details below.

The second annual City Pages 10 Thousand Sound Festival is just a few weeks away. On Saturday, July 26, Polica's only local gig of the year will lead a talented and diverse lineup of some of our favorite acts of recent memory.

Joining them will be the experimental synth-pop of Sylvan Esso, Twin Cities rap creative Allan Kingdom, Frankie Teardrop's fun-core rock antics, the smooth indie stylings of Carroll, and Tree Blood's all-out noise-rock assault. This is a dream lineup, and currently it is a bargain at $20 for the day. But all of that goes out the window on July 1.

The second annual City Pages 10 Thousand Sounds Festival lineup is here! Our day of music, food, beverages, and companionship returns to downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, July 26.

Just the other day, members of the local media wondered when Poliça would make their live return in Minneapolis to mark the re-release of Shulamith and the new Raw Exit EP's emergence. It's a treat to announce that Channy Leaneagh and her group's piercing synths, rumbling bass, and two-drum attack will headline our day, which will be hosted by 89.3 the Current's Barb Abney.

After a day filled with all local (and locally connected) bands, New York's the Walkmen helped add some national flavor and prestige to the 10 Thousand Sounds festival with their headlining set. The stylish quintet's 70-minute, 14-song set stuck mainly to their slow-burning acoustic and piano-driven numbers.

Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak defiantly proclaimed early on at Saturday's 10 Thousand Sounds Festival that, "A little rain isn't going to keep Minnesotans from putting on a music festival." And indeed, for fans and artists alike, a day filled with music provided a necessary distraction from the widespread devastation brought on by Friday night's deluge, and gave those without power a few hours of fun while the Twin Cities slowly recovered from the storm.

As for the music itself, the opening part of the festival presented a terrific cross-section of what makes the current Twin Cities scene so vibrant and vital in the first place, as Prissy Clerks, Strange Names, Greg Grease, and The Chalice (who, in addition to hosting the festivities, also played a four-song set), all looked perfectly comfortable and confident on the big outdoor stage, and kept the gradually swelling crowd entertained with spirited sets throughout the afternoon. And Minneapolis expats Free Energy brought the party vibes in the early evening, giving the festival the jolt it needed as the day started to grow long.

Finally, our first 10 Thousand Sounds show is this week! Today we can release the schedule and set times for our featured performers the Walkmen (above), Free Energy, Greg Grease, Strange Names, Prissy Clerks, and our hosts the Chalice.

The show is this Saturday, June 22, at 8th Street and Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. It kicks off at 4 p.m., and won't relent for six hours -- or ten hours, counting the afterparty.